I would be very happy to be proven wrong, but I find it hard to believe that next day delivery is a thing when you live in Tasmania.

I think there is a darker side to all of this. Some of these comments might be coming out of the trad-wife trend. These are not harmless stay at home mothers. There is a very nasty, far-right ideological bent to their beliefs. Women like Emily Hart go against everything they have been indoctrinated to believe and so they feel justified in lashing out.

@cat lady That makes a lot of sense.

I am not a royalist and I don't like the concept of royalty. However, even I had to wonder what kind of abdominal surgery requires a 12 day stay in hospital. A hysterectomy is usually a day surgery procedure these days. I have relatively mild endometriosis, but even the people I know with the most terrible endometriosis have not had to remain in hospital for more than a few nights following surgery. Again, they usually go home on the same day. I can't pretend to be a fan of Kate, but I truly and sincerely hope she is okay.

@gu3st You said that men's chests aren't a secondary  sexual characteristic. Neither are womens's chests. They are there to serve a purpose. Your argument that breasts become sexual because men like looking at them could also be applied to men's chests. Women aren't telling men to cover up but some men are telling women to cover up. This is a problem.

@gu3st Women have breasts so that they have the option to breast feed their babies should they choose to have them. The fact that they have been sexualised by men does not change the fact that they serve a practical purpose and have nothing whatsoever to do with sex. Also, not all women's clothing is made to accentuate women's chests. Nevertheless, western women bow to expectations and cover their breasts. You couldn't pay me to wear a g string, but nudity laws state that regardless of gender it is the front that must be covered, not the back.  Women do not police what men wear in public, men have no right to do it to women. It is that simple.

I have been teaching on and off for the last 11 years and I finally made the decision to move on. I am a librarian as well, so that is what I am now doing. The issue for me was never the pay (although it should be better) or the parents,  it was the fact that I was made to feel like a student teacher despite my years of experience. I was being forced to punish students with additional needs when all they needed was a brain break. I was being told how to plan. The constant testing was driving both me and the kids crazy. I miss the kids so very much but it just wasn't worth the toll on my mental health. I also agree that the degree is a problem. I remember having multiple melt downs during my pracs. It is so hard.

@chrissyinthemiddle I also acknowledged that things are going badly for Joe, but as things stand, he is the only sane choice. I truly hope the Democrats choose a new candidate but unless Joe has a health crisis, I am not sure they will. 

@chrissyinthemiddle Yet it is not the Democrats or Joe Biden encouraging the hysteria or the conspiracy theories which have led to Taylor Swift's personal safety being threatened. The far right are clearly out of control. As bad as things are going for Joe, he remains the only sane choice.

@kat_  I don't have a problem with the phone ban but the bride had no business denying her access to her belongings. Even if she wasn't allowed to stay in the apartment, she needed to be allowed to get her things. To be honest, none of the women in this story sound emotionally mature enough to be contemplating marriage.

I am sorry but I am not a Taylor Swift fan. I just don't get it. I don't think she has a great voice and she really turned me off with all of that squad nonsense years ago. That is just my opinion. I realise that many people love her. However, I heard that the far right is very annoyed by this relationship, so that is a positive.

This is wonderful and so powerful. Thank you!

It looks like it was a beautiful wedding and I am so happy for Jacinda. I can't believe she is being punished for keeping New Zealanders alive. Do they realise how high the death toll could have been and would they be defending her had they lost loved ones? I highly doubt it. Also, she really didn't do anything that Scomo didn't also do.

@snorks I thought it was strongly implied (to the point where it was the basis for the article), but I could be wrong.

@snorks We weren't told whether she woke up or not but I assumed by her husband's joke about this woman holding their screaming child, that she did wake up and start crying again. That is what prompted the final comment, even though this woman bought the crying entirely upon herself.

I must admit that even though I know she is largely playing pretend, I do enjoy following Hannah. The mormon aspect concerns me, but she rarely talks about religion and never about her (presumably conservative) politics. Either of those would be a deal breaker for me, but she keeps it very much in the background. She has a separate page for her Mrs. American stuff so I don't have to engage with that either. I just enjoy watching her cook and seeing the children grow. She has a lot of help and a lot of the footage of her working is for the benefit of her followers (it is important to remember that she is not a normal housewife) but there is something calming and gentle about her beautiful page. I feel guilty for following her because I know she doesn't share my values, but her page is therapeutic.

@pollyanna I follow Hannah too. I love watching her cook and watching the children grow. However, as others have said, their life isn't as simple as it seems. They go on big holidays at the drop of a hat. They clearly have a lot of staff who look after the farm for them when they are away and help them when they are home. A lot of the vision of them working is for the benefit of their followers. They also pay a teacher to educate their children. There is often clearly someone holding the camera for Hannah whilst she films her beautiful videos. Hannah is also quite open about the fact that she only cooks a few times a week (they also have chefs on site). I still love following her, but I think it is important for people to understand that there are reasons why this life is so unattainable for ordinary families.

They absolutely left it too late to tell you that they can't afford to come. If they still hadn't paid for their flights in the week before, that suggests to me that they have known for a while that they didn't have the money. Only very well off people buy plane tickets the week before they have to fly (except in cases of emergency). Perhaps you could explain that you have been left out of pocket and give them the price, before asking them to contribute what they can afford. However, if you ask for money, you might have to accept that it may put a strain on the friendship. Whatever you decide to do, I think you are justified in being annoyed.

@d123 There are afternoon cafes in Hobart. :)

I love my sleep ins too and if I don't get them, I am definitely taking an afternoon nap. My issue with brunch is that afterwards, I am too full for lunch but I am starving long before dinnertime. This leads to far too much late afternoon snacking. I haven't worked out how to fix this dilemma! I also don't like driving on an empty stomach in the morning as this usually leads to motion sickness, but I can tolerate it as long as I don't need to go too far.